LONDON’S iconic Wembley Stadium arch was lit up in orange as a tribute to the Swaminarayan Mandir in Neasden which marked its 20th anniversary over the weekend.
The 133-metre tall steel landmark was illuminated in the colours of the robes worn by saints of the Swaminarayan faith as the temple celebrated with tens of hundreds of worshipers in north London.
Visiting saints from India – Sadguru Pujya Mahant Swami (Keshavjivan Swami), Sadguru Pujya Ishwarcharan Swami, Pujya Atmaswarup Swami – joined scores of devotees at the stunning marble temple.
A team of performers brought to life the history of the holy site through three-dimensional projection mapping projecting images on to the temple in a three-hour production.
Spectators enjoyed a dance performance and joined a communal prayer session before the iconic football ground arch lit up the night sky.
The Swaminarayan Mandir was built using almost 3,000 tonnes of Bulgarian limestone along with 1,200 tonnes of Italian Carrara marble.
A further 900 tonnes of Indian Ambaji marble from northern Gujarat was chosen for its snowwhite colour and pure, vein-free finishing.
Swaminarayan temple marks 20 years. In total, over 5,000 tonnes of stone was hand-carved by more than 1,500 skilled artisans at 14 different sites around India into 26,300 pieces.
These were then coded, packed and sent on their final 6,300-mile journey to London where each piece – the largest weighing 5.6 tonnes and the smallest only 50 grams – was assembled like a giant three dimensional jigsaw puzzle over two and a half years.
The magnificent temple was and continues to be funded entirely by the local community of worshippers and well-wishers who took part in sponsored walks and put on impressive cultural shows.
